In touch Tuesday

I missed out on Motivation Monday yesterday, so here is some In Touch Tuesday. I have mentioned in previous posts that exercise changed my life both after cancer and with my fibromyalgia. I will admit it’s not always easy, especially on rainy days like today, when my body is aching and screaming to just stay in bed. And now that I am pregnant my motivation has plummeted even more so, however, I know when I am done I will feel 100% better both mentally and physically. Endurance is not just pushing through something physically it’s also pushing through when you want to give up, so sometimes you gotta dig deep and find that inner strength of yours and keep going. I do not do any rigorous workouts. My routine mostly consists of light cardio, weights, and yoga. Below I mapped out the workout I did today to give you an idea of a low intensity routine that will help your aching muscles and help you build strength.

*You will need a couch or a chair, a light set of weights, and a mat . If this is your first time try 3lbs weights. If you can do 5lbs even better, but today I am using 8lb’s which I do not recommend off the bat. Work your way up to a heavier weight over time. If you want to finish the routine with yoga as I do, then you need a yoga mat and blocks. Remove your sneakers and socks for the yoga portion.

Low Intensity Workout

Always stretch before you workout. Do some forward bends and hold for 8 seconds. If you are very tight in your hamstrings, bend your knees, and remember to roll up slowly so that you do not get dizzy. Then some hip rolls. Roll your hips in one direction 10 times then switch direction. Move on to shoulder rolls, about 10 forward and 10 back. And last, the neck. Tilt your head to one side for 10 seconds then switch sides to hold for another 10.

Now cardio:

You want to get you heart rate up each time you do these four sets. Start by marching in place for one minute.

Next march side to side by crossing one leg behind the other while keeping arms at chest height and pulling back, do this for 30 seconds. Keep going but now with arms over head, pull down, use your shoulder muscles, do this for another 30 seconds, for a total of 1 minute. (Example below)

Next alternate knee ups. Bring left knee up and try to get your right elbow to touch, switch and do the same with the right knee and left elbow. Do this continually for one minute.

March in place again for another minute. Try to pick up the pace this time. If you can jog in place, even better! Do this for a minute. Now your heart rate should be up!

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Next weights:

I started today with bicep curls. Alternate each arm bringing the weight up slowly and releasing slowly. Do 12 reps each arm.

Next, is bent over row. I used the couch, as you can see below, because is gave me the most support. You can try a chair but you want as much surface space to balance as possible. Start with you right leg bent on a bench or couch, lean forward, and support your upper body with your right arm. Place left leg on ground and a weight in your left hand. Pull the weight back using your trapezeus, deltoid, and latissimus dorsi muscles, all the muscles that surround the shoulder blades. Again, 12 reps each arm.

Third, work your tricep muscles with tricep dips on your couch. Start by sitting on the edge of your couch both hands placed at either side of your hips. Now extend you legs out and lift your hips so that you form a table top. Slowly, bend at your elbows and bring your hips down, almost touching the floor, then bring your hips back up, straightening your arms. 12 reps.

Now, repeat the four cardio exercises to get your heart rate up again, followed by the three weight exercises two more times. So it should be cardio, weights, cardio, weights, cardio weights for a total of 3 cardio sets ad 3 weight sets. You should feel the burn after this.

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I usually do squats and lunges between my weight sets but today I took it easy and did my leg exercises on a mat.

Leg exercises:

Clam exercises:

Lay on you right side and support your head in your hand, elbow on the mat. Bend your knees and bring them in to almost fetal position(see below) . Now open your left knee up, feet still together, and slowly bring the knees back together . You should feel this in your behind! Do 15 reps.

Now extend your legs a little further so that they are almost straight but not quite. They should be slightly bent, but not as much as the first set. Again with feet together open up left knee slowly and then slowly bring knees back together. 15 reps.

Last, leg lifts.

Straighten legs completely and lift the left leg up and bring the leg down. Your behind should be burning by now!!! Whew!! 15 reps.

Do 15 reps on each leg exercise 3 times and then switch to the left side and do the same.

Last are kickbacks. Come onto your hands and knees and tighten your core. Slowly lift the right leg up to a 90 angle and back down. Do 15 reps on each side 3 times. You can alternate legs or do all three sets on one leg and then switch.

You are done!! Phew!! Now you can cool down by repeating the stretching exercises done in the beginning of the workout.

I ended today’s workout with a nice 15 minute Prenatal Yoga series I found on YouTube. I found Yoga helped me tremendously while I was going through chemotherapy and now with my fibromyalgia. It helps by increasing flexibility, bringing oxygen to the muscles, and reducing stress. There are tons of different yoga series on the web. If you are a beginner I would suggest you start with a gentle yoga or beginner yoga series.

And that’s it! This whole routine took me 40 minutes and I already feel better. It’s not always easy getting up and moving especially if you are going through treatment for an illness such as myself. Yet, the rewards are plentiful and your body will thank you!